1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hydraulically operated device for cutting or trimming rock, including corner pieces.
2. Description of the Related Art
Rock slitters or cutters currently on the market include the HYDRASPLIT® stone splitter manufactured by Park Industries of St. Cloud, Minn. The HYDRASPLIT® stone splitters come in various models and are hydraulically operated. These splitters all incorporate a tabletop design that makes it virtually impossible to cut corner pieces with any degree of precision.
Cee-Jay Tool Company, Inc. of Loveland, Colo. manufactures and sells both a stationary and a portable version of a hydraulically operated stone cutter called the STONE MASON™. Like the HYDRASPLIT™, the STONE MASON™ has a tabletop-type configuration that makes it difficult to cut corner pieces.
E&R Manufacturing Company Inc. of Kirklin, Ind. manufactures and sells the ELMER'S MIDGET HELPER™, which is a manually operated rock cutter. Although the ELMER'S MIDGET HELPER™ appears to be open enough in its design that it could accommodate corner pieces, it is simply not as powerful as a hydraulically operated cutter. The same company makes the ELMER'S LITTLE HELPER™, which incorporates a tabletop design with side pillars and therefore cannot be used effectively with corner pieces.
Not only does the present invention cut corner pieces with precision, but it is hydraulically operated and designed to withstand the forces associated with up to 25 tons of hydraulic pressure. Specifically, the present invention incorporates an open C-clamp design that allows greater flexibility than any prior art device in terms of manipulating the rock piece.
There are various patented cutting, piercing or splitting devices that utilize C-clamp-type designs, but none that incorporates the rock cutting features of the present invention. These patents include U.S. Pat. No. 1,736,041 (Huff, 1929); U.S. Pat. No. 1,774,328 (Huff, 1930); U.S. Pat. No. 2,224,708 (Sittert, 1940); U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,128 (Dacey, Jr., 1990); U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,672 (Pecora et al., 1990); U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,616 (Chen, 1991); U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,490 (Smith et al., 1995); U.S. Pat. No. 6,745,611 (Lefavour et al., 2004); U.S. Pat. No. 6,928,739 (Jirele et al., 2005); U.S. Pat. No. 6,957,560 (Lefavour et al., 2005); U.S. Pat. No. 7,111,488 (Lefavour et al., 2006); and U.S. Pat. No. 7,165,439 (Lefavour et al., 2007).